IDPs increase steadily as army 'clean-up' rolls on

Insecurity in the southeastern province of Moxico has sent thousands of people fleeing into the capital, Luena, and aid workers expect more people to flock to the town for humanitarian aid in coming weeks. "During the last weeks of December and the first week of January, more than 5,000 people arrived in Luena. Expectations for the next few weeks is that there will be a continuing influx of people from the southern part of Moxico province," an OCHA source said on Friday. The source said there were concerns that the IDP facilities in Luena were overcrowded, and that increasing numbers and infrastructural problems - like the poor condition of the Luena airstrip - would "eventually limit the capacity to assist" those seeking help. According to the latest World Food Programme (WFP) situation report, 360 new IDPs (or 100 families) were registered in Luena from 14-21 January. "So far in January a total of 2,510 IDPs (682 families) were registered in Luena," the report said. The number of IDPs has been increasing steadily across the country in recent months, according to reports from various humanitarian agencies. Much of this movement has been attributed to government "clean-up" operations aimed at flushing out Jonas Savimbi's rebel UNITA troops and crippling the movement once and for all. According to recent Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) communiqués, several senior UNITA leaders have already defected to the government's side. However, the continued instability is continuing to have a devastating effect on the country's people. According to the WFP report, the province of Cuando Cubango, on the border with Namibia, was unstable from 14-21 January. "The security situation in the province during the reporting week remained unstable due to the large movement of troops reported northeast of the provincial capital Menongue," the report said. It also said that a large number of Angolans were seeking humanitarian assistance in Kuito, capital of the central Bie province. "The number of IDPs flooding into Camacupa (the base of relief operations about 80 km from Kuito) and Kuito has continued to rise during the reporting week. An average of 7,000 IDPs per month has reportedly arrived in Kuito and 5,000 in Camacupa." According to the report: "At the time of writing this report, there were 126,000 IDPs in Kuito, 50,000 in Camacupa and 5,000 in Cunhinga. It is reported that the nutritional situation is poor, with global malnutrition rates reaching 13 percent in Camacupa." According to the report, 103 new IDPs arrived in Menongue during the reporting period from the nearby Cuchi and Cuangar municipalities, while 1,517 new IDPs were registered in Waku Kungo in Cuanza Sul, in the northwest of the country. In Lunda Sul, on the northeastern border with Zambia 792 IDPs registered for assistance in Saurimo last week. "The IDPs come from Lunda Norte province, and some are returnees who have been living in exile in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)," WFP said.